


Hope is A Fragile Thing

by MarshallDFaythe



Series: Kingdom Hearts Valentine's Day 2020 [2]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Tattoo Shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:08:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22701499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarshallDFaythe/pseuds/MarshallDFaythe
Summary: ''I thought you said you don't believe in love.''''I don't,'' he answered after a moment, ''but you make me want to.''A little fic I wrote for Valentine's Day featuring Kairi and Vanitas. Vanitas owns a Tattoo parlor and Kairi is about to get her first one! She quickly becomes addicted to the feeling and continues to come back. Or is it because of her hot, aloof artist?
Relationships: Kairi/Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts), Vanikai
Series: Kingdom Hearts Valentine's Day 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1639351
Comments: 8
Kudos: 17





	Hope is A Fragile Thing

Vanitas absentmindedly flicked his cigarette at the ground, stomping it out once he had finished taking his last puff. His break was over he had to head inside once again, although he wasn't entirely sure what for. No one ever came to get tattoos on Tuesdays, it seemed. Normally his parlor was fairly quiet on Tuesdays, with the odd chance of a walk in. This day wasn't special until  _ she  _ walked in. Over the years, he had some interesting customers step inside The Void Gear. From an entire gang of bikers who asked for matching floral ink to a scrawny kid in glasses that wanted a chicken tattoo on his rib cage. However, she caught his eye immediately. Cherry red hair pulled back into a short ponytail with sideswept bangs, the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen and an overly pink wardrobe with a pink and black messenger bag slung over her shoulder to compliment the look. She was so completely out of place among his decorations-taxidermy spiders, authentic animal skulls, gothic art framed on the walls, black leather and red velvet.

''You lost, Princess?'' Vanitas teased from behind the counter, golden eyes glinting mischievously as she eyed his neatly stacked portfolios beside a set of leather chairs.

''Oh, hello! You must be Vanitas!'' She smiled with an expression so warm and inviting. He quirked an eyebrow, genuinely shocked.

''You here to deliver me mail or something? Oh, no. I've got it. You're one of Ven's friends, here to give me a message.''

''No, no! I'm Kairi. Maybe your brother mentioned me?'' She rested her hands upon the counter, unafraid that she was so close to the large taxidermy tarantula in the case below it.

''Yep, that explains it. What did my idiot brother do now?'' Vanitas rolled his eyes. It wasn't as if he hadn't heard of Kairi before. All Sora ever talked about were his childhood friends. Van had yet to meet them, as he and Sora were separated when they were young and raised in different households. They had really only just begun speaking again, and his brother's conversations mainly revolved around them.

''That's not very nice. Sora is plenty smart! And he actually recommended you to me, you know? I want a tattoo.'' Kairi slid her hands to her hips, looking quite cross.

Vanitas was floored, to say the least.  _ Her? Wanting a tattoo? Maybe she's drunk. _

''You have too many Appletinis or something?''

''Oh, come on! It's not that hard to believe I'd want a tattoo. There's more to me than just my appearance.'' She actually pouted. Vanitas shook his head before folding his arms.

''Well, do you have something in mind then?''  _ Probably flowers or some girly shit. _

''Yeah, actually. Do you think you could do something like this?'' She reached inside her messenger bag to retrieve a small folded paper. Vanitas took it and unfolded it. The design was simple-a purple book with the title, 'Light and Shadow' in the center. Around the ends of the book were wildflowers.  _ Not surprising. _

''Yeah. You want to make an appointment? Unless you've got cash with you or a down payment, I can't-''

''Money isn't an issue! Could I get it done today? Sora told me you'll do walk-ins.'' Kairi shook her head, digging around in her bag and sticking her tongue out in concentration. Vanitas was a little amused, though he would never let onto that in a million years.

''Let me get the paperwork.'' He tore his eyes away from the pretty girl and went to fetch the forms in the back room. By the time he came back, Kairi had located her wallet and had it ready to go. She was practically bouncing in place on her heels, brimming with excitement.

''Should I pay now?''

''That's not how tattoos work, Princess. I can give you a quote, but I can't say for sure if it will be correct by the time I'm done with the ink.'' Vanitas shook his head, sliding the forms over to her with a pen perched ontop.

''Okay! Gotcha.'' Kairi nodded with a soft hum. She flicked through the paperwork, signing where necessary.

''Once the tattoo itself is done, I'll go over the aftercare process with you,'' He took the forms and skimmed through them, making sure everything was good to go, ''and I need your ID.''

''Oh! Right!'' After a moment of fishing in her wallet, Kairi pulled out her ID and presented it to him.  _ Her birthday is on the first day of Spring? She's actually some sort of fairy,  _ Vanitas thought to himself snidely as she slotted her ID back in place and stowed her wallet in her bag.

''Alright, everything is good to go. Have a seat on the chair and I'll get a stencil drawn up. Then we can talk placement.'' Vanitas set the paperwork aside and took the sketch with him, He wanted to get the ink color as close as he could to what this representation showed. Kairi sat on the chair patiently, glancing around with curious eyes. She swung her legs over the side, dangling them like a child. Vanitas rolled his eyes at her overall cuteness, searching for a warm enough orange to match one of the wildflowers. Once he had all of the ink colors lined up and ready to go, he sat down to prepare a stencil of the tattoo. Vanitas worked in silence for a while as his customer hummed patiently. Once it was done, he approached her with the design.

''I was thinking my upper back or my thigh?''

''For your first? I recommend the thigh. It's one of the least painful places to get one.''

''Okay, yeah! Let's do that, then!'' Kairi beamed, shifting on the chair. It was a good thing she had worn her favorite pair of shorts today, as it left enough skin on her thigh visible.

''Alright. What do you think of this?'' He showed her the stencil and her eyes lit up.

''It's perfect!'' Kairi beamed with excitement. Vanitas was amazed there was absolutely no fear in her at all.

''Good. Now sit back just a little.'' The stencil was lightly pressed to the top of her shapely thigh. A few moments passed and Vanitas peeled it back, leaving behind a flawless imprint.

''It looks amazing!'' She gasped, moving her thigh from side to side to admire it in the light.

''I haven't even inked it yet.'' Although, he couldn't deny her enthusiasm was somewhat endearing.

''I can't wait!'' She tried to hold still, but containing her excitement was proving a tough challenge. Vanitas huffed ever so slightly, gathering the ink and getting the needle prepped. Kairi watched with interest, her head tilted to the side softly. He slipped on his gloves and got himself seated once more, gently bracing a hand on her thigh. It felt strangely intimate, the air between them charged. Kairi held her breath as the needle graced her skin for the first time. It was a  _ strange  _ feeling, she decided. Not bad. It was as if a toothpick had jabbed her a little and was scraping on her skin. It was strange and abrasive, but not necessarily painful. Kairi watched every smooth line Vanitas made as he worked away, engraving her leg and wiping away excess ink from time to time.

''Doing okay?'' He asked in a slightly louder tone above the somewhat pleasant hum of the machine.

''Yeah...It's weird. If that makes sense? It doesn't really hurt.''

''I felt you brace yourself there for a moment. My guess is you don't have much experience with ink?'' She shook her head.

''Not in the slightest! I just told myself to be braced for the worst imaginable pain. After that, everything just seems like a tickle.'' Vanitas supposed that made sense. It also made him a bit more curious.

''So why get one?''

''Well, it's not really for me. I mean, it is. But it's a tribute. My Grandma passed when I was little, so I wanted something permanent to remind me of her.'' Kairi explained softly, gazing at the work in progress on her thigh.

''Oh. That's really cool.''  _ That's really cool. And this is why I don't talk to my customers.  _ Vanitas could've kicked himself.

''Thank you...She would've loved it.'' The young woman smiled, a piece of her cherry red hair dangling in front of her face.

''Don't really get that, I guess,'' Vanitas wiped some more excess ink away, ''the whole tattoo tribute thing. Lots of people get 'em.''

''Huh? Why not?'' Kairi asked in a soft voice, fully enveloped in watching him work.

''Guess I don't have anyone that ever made saying goodbye that hard.''

''Oh. No family? Would you get one for a partner?''

''A partner? Like a love interest?'' Vanitas laughed in response, pausing so he didn't affect her tattoo with his movement, ''I don't believe in love.''

''That's...really sad. You don't date?''

''I'm more of a...one night stand kinda guy.'' He admitted shamelessly.

''I'm sorry,'' Kairi cleared her throat moments later, not wanting to overstep, ''that must be terribly lonely.''

Vanitas only shrugged, continuing his work. She figured there was a button there and she had pressed much too hard. So, Kairi fell silent and focused once more on his inking skills.

It took three hours to completely finish the piece (with some breaks during the heaviest shading parts) and then Vanitas gave her a fifteen minute lecture on properly caring for her tattoo. Just like that, she was out the door.  _ That must be terribly lonely.  _ It echoed in his mind. He threw that thought in a box inside his head and shoved it aside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was often said that no one could really get just one tattoo. Eventually, they'd come back. It was something about sensation, plus the meaningfulness that came with getting something permanently inked into your skin. Kairi was no exception. Vanitas saw her numerous times after their first meeting. However, he noticed a pattern forming.

Kairi came in for her second tattoo three months after her first, insisting on a series of rainbow stars flowing up her arm. Her cat had just died and she was having trouble coping. Her third tattoo was a lace pattern over her opposite thigh. Kairi's friend Xion had gotten sick and she was scared. Her forth was an orange hibiscus over shoulderblade, which she had asked for after she was denied an important promotion at work. Vanitas began to look forward to seeing her more every single time, despite seeming perhaps otherwise.

Vanitas was working late one night, finishing up minor details on a sketch for a client when he heard the bell ring.  _ Probably some eager 18 year old who decides not read my obvious CLOSED sign. _

''Listen, maybe you can't read, but-'' Vanitas stopped dead in his tracks as he rounded the counter and saw Kairi standing there. Immediately, he knew something horrible had happened. She was crying, her cheeks rosy pink as could be. Her hair was askew and her stature was slightly slumped. He didn't even know how she managed to get in the door, let alone continue standing. Vanitas grabbed a nearby stool and set it down, guiding Kairi to sit with a tenderness he wasn't known for.

''Vani, it's awful...'' Kairi sniffled, burying her face in the long sleeves of her oversized pink sweater. Vanitas overlooked that horrible distasteful abbreviation of his name because there was a girl sobbing in his shop.

''What happened?'' Vanitas sat on the edge of his counter, his mind swimming with anxiety he hardly ever had.

''I-I really liked him....I've had feelings since...since we were kids...'' She sobbed into her sleeves.

''Sora...?'' Oh, yes. He knew. Vanitas had heard Kairi gush over him in a few of their appointments, which is why he swore to never make a move. If those feelings were reciprocated, there was no way he would close in on his brother's interest. Even if he didn't really believe that kind of love lasted, if anyone deserved it, it would be Sora. Kairi nodded in response, taking a moment to collect herself so she could get a few words out.

''I...it's Riku. He has feelings for Riku...''

''Oh...'' He also suspected his brother was bisexual or gay, so this wasn't super surprising. He didn't have time to think about such things as a devastated drunken woman was sobbing in his tattoo parlor.

''I should've known...and I'm not mad! They're both wonderful...my best friends, and they should be happy... I-I can't force love, I..I know.'' Kairi stuttered, wiping her face. Vanitas leaned over and gathered some tissues, handing them to her. She took them gratefully, dabbing her face and blowing her nose.

''I'm sorry. That's...why I don't date.'' Vanitas shrugged, not really sure what advice to give in this situation, or how best to help. His social skills were lacking severely.

''Maybe I should just....do what you do.''

''One night stands??? You're too good for that, Kairi.'' He shook his head, folding his arms. The red-head looked up at him, blue eyes shining bright, ''What's that look for?''

''That's the first time you've ever said my name.'' She managed a laugh, her words slurring together a bit from the aftermath of the tears and the booze. Kairi looked past his tattooed arms, his apathetic exterior and the way his golden eyes glinted. She realized that perhaps she hadn't always been fair to Vanitas, coming here as a coping mechanism and projecting her stress onto him.

''Don't get used to it, Princess. I just want you to know I'm being serious about it. Any guy who decides to have a one night stand with you thinking you aren't happily-ever-after material is a joke, and I'll take out his kneecaps.'' Kairi laughed, the sound soothing Vanitas' heart in ways he couldn't have ever imagined. For a moment, he slipped his eyes closed before glancing the other way.

''Thank you...But you should know you're happily-ever-after material, too.''

''Me? Please. I'm more like the villain.''

''In your dreams, dark Prince.'' She snorted, continuing to wipe her face clean.

''I've got some pain meds in the back and I'll get you some water. You'll be feeling that alcohol in the morning.'' Vanitas rolled his eyes in retort before speaking. Kairi smiled through it all, nodding.

''Thank you so much, Vani.''

''How many times have I asked you not to call me that? It's...awkward.''

''I think it's cute.'' She giggled, her eyelids looking heavy.

''You need me to take you home tonight?''

''I...could go home with you?'' The words hung heavy in the air. Vanitas knew that tone of voice and he immediately stomped out that idea.

''Not happening. You're drunk.''

''It would just be one night...Can't take your own kneecaps.''

''Kairi, no. You're drunk. Tomorrow, you won't even remember half this conversation.''

''W-why not? I don't...'' She looked so disappointed and he hated it.

''A 'yes' when drunk isn't consent. Frankly, I'm a little hurt that you think I'm some Grade A douchebag who sleeps with drunks. My partners have always been sober when they consented. And yes, I could take my own kneecaps. You deserve better than that. If anything ever did happen between us, I don't want it to be when you're drunk. So, no. You'll get some stuff for pain, plenty of water and I'll take you home. That's that.'' Vanitas shook his head, golden eyes soft. Kairi was silent for a little while, still sniffling from time to time and wiping her face.

''I thought you said you don't believe in love.''

''I don't,'' he answered after a moment, ''but you make me want to.''

Kairi nodded and she didn't press him anymore after that. Vanitas gave her a bottle of pain medication that he kept up in his cabinet for his migraines, along with three glasses of water. Then, they waited for the water to run through her system and her to sober up a bit. Afterward, Vanitas helped Kairi out to his truck, and he followed her instructions to her house.

''I am...so sorry.'' Kairi leaned her head on the window, her eyes feeling strained and dry from all the crying.

''It's okay. No harm done. All I want is for you to get a good night's rest and feel better.'' He rested a comforting hand on her leg. She laid one of her hands over his. Neither of them said a word about it, letting nature take its course. When he drops her off, Vanitas makes sure to help her get to the door, even though she's mostly sober by this point.

''Thank you. Really, you're such a gentleman. Who would've thought?'' Kairi flashed him a playful (but tired) smile.

''Definitely not me. Get some rest. You need anything, give me a call,'' He handed her his business card, ''there's a personal number on the back.''

''Gotcha...So, I make you want to believe in love?''

''More like....you give me hope. Night, Princess.'' Vanitas turned on his heel and headed back to his truck before he could see the tender look in her eyes, or the way she clutched his card to her heart. He wasn't the only one who clung to that hope so desperately. He checked in the rear view mirror to make sure she got inside her apartment safely before taking off, eager to hear from her next. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! It's been a long time since I've written anything Kingdom Hearts, so forgive me if I'm a little rusty!


End file.
